Business intelligence applied to the consumption of iodinated contrast agents in computed tomography scans

BACKGROUND: The management of the use of iodinated contrast agents (ICA) in the computed tomography (CT) has clinical and financial impacts; however, the approaches in the current research setting have limitations with regard to their exploration of the theme. This work describes the application of the stages of a process of business intelligence (BI), from the formulation of business questions, the building of a research database, and the adaptation of a multidimensional model, to the creation of dashboards to give support to the decision-making process in a hospital. This research aims to apply and document a BI process that provides support to the decision making of managers, so the use of ICA can be better managed, allowing for the identification of situations in which the material was wasted using a study applied to the hospital field. METHODS: An applied exploratory research with a quantitative approach in a database made up by 24 variables and 35,388 records extracted from the RIS (Radiology Information System) that is used by the General Hospital of Porto Alegre—HCPA. The software used, supplied by AGFA Healthcare, were the Qdoc system (version 6.2.0) and the Impax BI (Version 11.1.1) for, respectively, data entry and data exploration. At the end of the process, a total of 48 variables was considered. RESULTS: The BI process applied allowed for the identification of situations in which ICA was being wasted during the operationalization of the volume/mass ratio of the agent injected in the patient. It also offered the necessary substantiation for the managers to formulate plans, actions, and controls associated to the use of the material. This work made it possible to diminish in 15.65% the total consumption of ICA injected in the patients who underwent the CTAB1 exam (full CT scan of the abdomen), with a projected economy of US$ 10,039.95, for the performance of this exam from 2020 on. The measuring of the impact and the relevance of the process was 99.6% positive, according to the evaluation of the managers. CONCLUSIONS: This research generated clinical and financial benefits for the HCPA, a positive evaluation by the managers and the generation of new knowledge, which can be shared with other public or private health organizations. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12911-022-01814-9.